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It’s back to school in Ukraine — but far from normal

Students walk together entering in their class during their first day of school at a public school in Irpin, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Ukrainian children return to school without sharing memories from their holidays. They share stories of how they survived the first months of the war. For many children, last semester finished the day before Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February. The ongoing war remains the biggest challenge for the educational system of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Students walk together entering in their class during their first day of school at a public school in Irpin, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Ukrainian children return to school without sharing memories from their holidays. They share stories of how they survived the first months of the war. For many children, last semester finished the day before Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February. The ongoing war remains the biggest challenge for the educational system of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

By HANNA ARHIROVA and YESICA FISCH / Associated Press 6 min read


MYKHAILO-KOTSYUBYNSKE, Ukraine (AP) — It was the first day of school in Ukraine on Thursday but children weren’t sharing memories of fun vacations with their families. Their stories were of surviving war. For many, their last day of school was the day before the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of their country.

At least 379 children have been killed since the war began, while the whereabouts of 223 others are unknown, according to Ukraine’s General Prosecutors office. Another 7,013 children were among Ukrainians forcibly transferred to Russia from Russian-occupied areas.

Six months of war damaged 2,400 schools across the country, including 269 that were completely destroyed, officials said.

Civilian areas and schools continue to be hit, and children keep being killed. But after the first months of shock, 51% of schools in Ukraine, despite the risk, are reopening to in-person education, with an option to study online if the parents prefer.